The invention relates in general to mortar munitions and in particular to breech loaded mortar munitions.
In the past, mortars have been muzzle loaded. With muzzle loaded mortars, the position of the mortar bomb in the mortar tube is not an issue. For a breech loaded mortar to work, particularly when the mortar tube is in an elevated position (i.e., not horizontal), a device is needed to hold the mortar bomb at a distance from the breech while the breech is being closed. Prior to the present invention, there has not been such a device.
A primary object of the invention is to enable a breech loaded mortar bomb to be held in a mortar tube at a distance from the breech while the breech is being closed, at any and all elevations of the mortar tube muzzle.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that prevents a breech loaded mortar bomb that is loaded at zero elevation (i.e., the mortar tube is horizontal) from being thrown down the mortar tube out of firing position by an auto loader or operating personnel.
The invention will be better understood, and further objects, features, and advantages thereof will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.